INDIANAPOLIS — The same words always seem to surface when Colts coaches talk about Mark Glowinski.

Mean. Nasty. A brawler, a guy who plays with so much aggression that offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo once compared Glowinski to the Tasmanian Devil.

A guy like that needs a running mate who can match his intensity, and Glowinski’s been teamed with the perfect bash brother in rookie right tackle Braden Smith.

“I’ve never really wanted to be next to somebody that was a finesse guy, that always just wanted to do the bare minimum,” Glowinski said. “I like guys that want to play like me but have the athleticism to play tackle. Being at guard, you always want to just come off the ball and knock somebody back.”

Indianapolis Colts offensive guard Mark Glowinski (64) hugs running back Marlon Mack (25) following his touchdown run in the first half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct 21, 2018.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

The right side of the dominant Colts offensive line remains under the radar, at least on a national scale.

On the other side, Quenton Nelson is a viral sensation, a bruiser of a first-round pick who came ready to play and finds himself making the rounds on the awards circuit. Center Ryan Kelly is the brains and the beating heart of this offensive line; left tackle Anthony Castonzo is the group’s holdover and spokesman, the gifted veteran from Andrew Luck’s early days who comes as close to a wizened vet as anybody could on a young Indianapolis front five.

All of that makes sense. Nelson, Kelly and Castonzo were always expected to be starters on this offensive line, the foundation of a front five Andrew Luck could finally feel safe behind.

The Smith-Glowinski tandem came as a surprise. Smith was the second-round pick who was supposed to be a guard; Glowinski was the waiver claim who was supposed to be a backup. Neither opened the season as starters; they didn’t start together until the sixth game of the season.

“Braden is like the best-kept secret in the NFL, as far as I am concerned,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “Rightly so, Quenton has gotten a lot of attention (but) Braden has played lights out.”

Back in training camp, DeGuglielmo constantly rotated his linemen — an arrangement made necessary in part due to injury — and Smith and Glowinski spent a lot of time playing next to each other, even with Glowinski playing tackle and Smith guard.

“We had combinations together, we had pass pro together, we had time together in scout team before both of us were starting,” Glowinski said. “We’ve had all that experience together.”

When they were finally paired together, Smith and Glowinski just clicked.

The brawler who wants to play with somebody willing to get down in the dirt with him has been paired with another bruiser, a mountain of a man who spent his college career playing guard for an Auburn team that prefers to pound teams into the turf with its ground game.

“I kind of feel like we’re on the same page,” Smith said. “We don’t even have to be talking. … as players, we’re just always on the same page. It’s kind of hard to explain.”

What Smith is trying to say is that he and Glowinski see the game the same way.

And just like the physical, right-to-the-whistle style that has made Nelson famous, Smith and Glowinski both want to grind defenders into pulp, to overpower them at the point of attack and overwhelm their willpower as the game goes into the fourth quarter.

That mentality makes them the perfect tandem.

“If you watch Glow, he is physical in the run, even in the pass, too,” Smith said. “You don’t hear about that much, but if he sees an opportunity to come help, he’ll put somebody on their back. He’s going to make his presence felt.”

Indianapolis might have seen Smith as a guard at first. But Smith's power and raw aggression also make him the perfect right tackle for the modern game. The best athletes have always gone to the left to protect the blind side; historically, that's led teams to line up brawlers at right tackle. That strategy doesn't work as well now that teams are deploying the game's best rushers, men like J.J. Watt, Von Miller, and Khalil Mack, on the left side of the defensive line. Smith, as he proved last week, has the athleticism to slow down a player like Watt, and he's still got the mentality of the brawlers who always used to play his position.

Smith and Glowinski’s natural connection is going to come in handy against the Chiefs on Saturday.

Kansas City’s defense leans heavily on its pass rush, and while Castonzo deals with speed rusher Dee Ford all day, Smith is going to find himself matched up against four-time Pro Bowler Justin Houston, and Glowinski’s day is going to be split between Chris Jones, a second-team All-Pro pick with 15.5 sacks, and Allen Bailey, who had six sacks of his own.

All under the deafening roar of Arrowhead Stadium, one of the loudest venues in the NFL.

“We just want to communicate and have as much continuity as possible with one another so we can understand each other,” Glowinski said. “In situations where it’s going to be really loud, you’re going to listen in for a certain voice.”

Helps to line up next to somebody who knows what he’s thinking, even before he says it.